Sleeping Cold Drabbles
by icegoddez333
Summary: My drabbles I promised for all those who read Sleeping Cold. Enjoy! Warning: I apologise for the heart attacks that may be caused.
1. Not What she Expected

**A new character turns out to have a dark secret. Word Count: 137**

Takumi Kazume watched his sister from the shadows of Karakura town. She was walking with the white-haired soul reaper captain, Toshirou Hitsugaya. She had a big smile on her face, one he hadn't seen since they were alive, the one she would give him when he'd caught her doing something she shouldn't.

He closed his eyes, as if to guard himself against the memory. He had no right to remember it.

He felt a sudden force against his back, and knew that even though it was soul crushing, that no one else would feel it. He opened his eyes and looked towards his sister again. I'm so sorry Uta, he thought sombrely. I can imagine this wasn't how you would envision me.

He turned around to gaze upon the face of the one known as Lord Aizen.


	2. Road Trip Gone Wrong

**AU Prompt: Characters go on a road trip. Chaos ensues. Word Count: 216**

How did it come to this? It was supposed to be a normal road trip with my friends and my one remaining family member. I mean, yeah, I knew that there were going to be some… odd moments, but this was just ridiculous!

My brother had been cuddling up to any woman he could find, Rangiku was singing and dancing on the bar, Ikkaku and Renji were laughing gleefully as they beat the crap out of each other, Yumichika was STRIPPING, Yachiru was literally bouncing off the walls and Kenpachi was outside challenging trees to fight to the death. And I was the only one here who had stayed sober.

With the help of some sympathetic party goers, I managed to drag everyone back to the hotel we were staying in. As I was putting Rangiku to bed, a door to another bedroom opened.

"Why were there other people with you guys?" I shook my head and turned to Toshirou. "They're gone; they were just helping me drag this sorry lot back." He winced. "That bad eh?" I shivered and replied, "Don't ask." He chuckled and smirked.

"You must be tired." I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Understatement of the century." He laughed quietly, approaching me slowly and grabbing my wrist. "Come to bed then, Uta."


	3. To Miss the Sea

**AU Prompt: Secretly a mermaid/vampire/werewolf/other mythical creature! Word count: 1,163**

Uta was desperate. She hadn't gone to sea in so long, and her skin was itching with the need to go. No one understood why, and they never would. Not if she had anything to do with it. They wouldn't look at her the same way. Because technically, she wasn't human.

"Uta!" Someone shouted. Said person spun on her heels, deftly avoiding being glomped by the approaching voluptuous blonde. "Hello Rangiku," She sighed. "Uta! How are you! You seem a little… off." "I'm just tired," she sighed again, looking around. "Where's Toshirou? Isn't he normally with you?" Rangiku shrugged. "Who knows? He was behind me…" "You're saying you left him behind?" "Yup!" Uta shook her head, but smiled lightly.

"Don't fret, I'm right here." She smiled wider and looked back to see the white-haired teen. "Jeez, Toshirou. You gettin' old or something? Rangiku left you in the dust!" He growled and glared back. "I didn't share her enthusiasm. I saw no need to come running at you." She shrugged. "Your loss."

He frowned and stepped closer, his left hand reaching up and rested upon her forehead. Uta stumbled back, face red from the contact. "Toshirou, what the hell!" "You don't seem to have a fever." She blinked. "No, you really think I'd be outdoors if I was?" "Mmmm, but you seem… off." Uta shook her head. "As I told Rangiku, I'm, just a little tired."

"Well whatever, want to come with us Uta?" Rangiku said. "Where are you going?" "To the beach!" Uta's eyes widened, but quickly recovered and shook her head rapidly. "No, I can't. I still have a couple of errands to run. Thanks for the offer though." Rangiku pouted, turning to Toshirou. "C'mon, Toshirou tell her to come!" He glared at her. "I can't tell her what to do. She's busy, so just leave her be." "You're no fun!"

Uta smiled at the banter, before waving and walking away. "What do you thinks bothering her?" Rangiku asked, looking pointedly at her long-time friend. He shrugged. "I don't know," his eyes narrowed. "But I will find out."

 _Just a little longer,_ Uta thought, walking along the shore, towards the pier. She looked around, making sure no one was around. Without noticing it, Uta's legs sped up, from a light jog to a run as she made her way up the peer. She stopped at the end, gazing out at the vast blue ocean. "Finally," she breathed out, preparing to dive in.

"Uta, what are you doing here?" "Toshirou?" She gasped spinning around so quickly she lost her balance, and instinctively reached out, accidently grabbing Toshirou. They both went crashing into the water.

Toshirou opened his eyes after the initial shock of cold water, only to have them widen as he caught sight of his friend. The clothes Uta was wearing had disappeared, replaced by a tight, green piece of cloth covering her upper half, and a beautiful, long tail. _A mermaid?!_ He gasped at the sight, unintentionally sucking in water, making him choke and lose consciousness.

 _Oh crap!_ Uta thought, stopping herself from swimming off to escape. Toshirou was unconscious. _You idiot!_ She quickly swam forward and grabbed him, holding him close as she swam upwards, quickly breaking the surface. She held him above the water, trying to figure out how to get both of them out of the ocean. _Screw it, I'll jump._ With a quick thrust of her tail, she sent both of them upwards, coming out of the water to land on the peer. Uta turned them around so she took the initial hit. _Ouch, that's going to leave a mark._

She quickly turned Toshirou onto his back, checking his pulse and breathing. _Well it's shallow, but he's breathing. Kudos for that._ She then proceeded to perform CPR (No lips), trying to force the excess water out of his lungs.

After what seemed an eternity, he burst awake, turning to the side and coughing up water. Resting on his hands and knees, he breathed deeply, slightly shivering. He turned towards Uta, who still possessed her tail. And then he just stared.

 _This is awkward…_ She thought, fidgeting slightly and glancing towards the ocean, wanting to jump back in and escape. Toshirou caught the glance and narrowed his eyes, before quickly moving and grabbing her wrists, holding them beside her head. He ended up on his hands and knees above her.

She struggled, but really couldn't do much due to the weight of her tail. "Wait, you can't leave yet." She shivered at the ice in his voice, as he looked her up and down.

"So… you're a mermaid." She flinched at that, but nodded. "Is this why you were acting so weird earlier?" She nodded. "Yeah, I… missed the ocean." "So why didn't you go with us when Rangiku offered?" She gave him a look. "Do I have to spell it out for you!? I can't go swimming in front of other people you idiot. Then they'd know!" He glared at her. "I can understand people you don't know, but why not trust us with this secret!"

Her eyes widened. "Toshirou, does it not freak you out, better yet scare you that I am of Mer blood?" He shook his head quickly. "Of course not! Sure, it surprised me, anyone would be, but in the end, you're the same Uta I know. You don't become someone completely different for being… well different." She stared at him in shock. "But… what?" "Did you really believe I would leave you because of this? Silly Uta."

She laughed suddenly. She was shaking with the force of it, and he let go of her and moved to the side, surprised by the random reaction. "You," she said, holding her stomach and sitting up, "are something else." He shook his head and smiled. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?" She shrugged, looking out at the ocean again.

"You want to go back in?" She looked back at him. "Definitely. It's been so long since I've… been home." "The ocean is your home?" She nodded. "Are we done talking? Do you have any other questions? I assume you know you can't tell anyone else about this." He nodded. "Though I think you should tell Rangiku and the others." She shook her head. "Give me a little more time. It's weird enough that you know. Let me adjust, and then I'll think about it." "Fair point."

"Can I go now?" He laughed at her childish whining. "Yeah, but on one condition." She raised an eyebrow. "Which is…?" He smirked. "That I get to go with you." She laughed again. "Oh Toshirou, do you really think you could keep up?" She smiled mischievously, and rolled, falling into the water. Toshirou sprung up, running towards the edge of the peer. "Hey, you don't get a head start! You're a mermaid god damn it! You already have the advantage!" He yelled, before jumping after her.


	4. Tradition

**AU Prompt: Mistaken burglar. Word count: 392**

At first she thought she thought it was just her imagination. Remnants of a dream she couldn't remember. But after the fog of sleep had faded, she realised that this was real. The floor boards downstairs were creaking, like someone was walking through the house, even though she lived alone. _Oh my god, someone's in here! What if it's a burglar? Crap what do I do?!_

Uta quickly hopped out of bed and made her way quietly around her room, thinking about what to use as a weapon of some sort. She finally decided on her jewellery box, knowing it was heavy, and it most likely wouldn't break.

She crept down the stairs, jewellery box in hand and waited behind the wall, listening to the steps as they got steadily closer. Her body was shaking slightly, her hands were sweaty, and a thousand terrified thoughts screamed through her head.

When she saw the outline of a person step out, she gulped and swung. The person cursed and jumped back, the heavy box rattling as it barely missed his head. Uta swore under her breath, but surged forward, aiming again for the trespasser. He dodged a once more, darting behind her and grabbing her around the waist. She screamed and struggled, trying to hit the burglar in the face with her jewelry box.

"Jesus Uta! It's me! Toshirou!" She froze, her arms slowly lowering. "Toshirou?" He let her go and stepped back. She turned around and reached for the light, switching it on so she could get a good look at his face. "You! What the ever loving hell are you doing here in the middle of the night! I thought you were a burglar!"

He growled and shoved his hands into his pants. "I had no choice. You're relatively new to the gang, and they decided to give an initiation ceremony. Happened to me too. I was picked to come in, bag you and take you to the meeting spot." She stared at him. "You were really going to pose as a kidnapper?" He nodded. Her face grew dark. "And who, pray tell, came up with this little, 'tradition?'" He arched an eyebrow. "Rangiku, who else?" She placed the jewellery box down, and turned to him, arms crossed. "Next time I see her, I'm going to kill her." He smiled. "No doubt."


	5. The Next Step

**AU Prompt: Taking the next step and adopting/having a kid. Word count: 386**

Uta stared at the pregnancy test she held in her hand, the results not quite registering in her mind. Positive. She was with child. _How did this happen? Well, I know how it happened but… so soon?_ She and her husband had just decided to try for a baby. They had been married for almost 2 years, and had felt ready for this next step. But Uta didn't expect to get pregnant this soon…

"Uta, hun, you home?" She heard Toshirou call. _He's home from work this early?_ "I'm coming!" I yelled back, quickly slipping the test into my pocket before making my way downstairs.

Toshirou frowned when he caught sight of his wife. "Uta, what's wrong? Your skin is pale, and you look shocked." She shook her head. "Nothing Toshirou. What're you doing home so early?" He growled at her dismissal. "I know you're lying. I got a call from your boss saying that you had left work feeling ill. So I'll ask again. What's wrong?" Uta sighed and grabbed his hand. "Alright, but you'll have to sit down for this."

Uta guided her husband to their couch, sitting them both down and keeping a hold of his hand. "Toshirou," she said. "I have been feeling sick on and off for the last two weeks." He scowled. "Why didn't you-" she held up her hand. "I'm not finished. Today was the last straw for me. Something was going on. I went to see the doctor, and he recommended taking a pregnancy test." Toshirou gasped, his eyes widening. Uta drew the test out, handing it to him. "These were the results." He stared at the test in disbelief. "Its… positive?" She scoffed. "Duh."

He placed the test onto the table before gazing into his wife's eyes. "You're… pregnant?" She smiled. "Yup!" His gaze slid down to her stomach and he placed his hands there. "We're going to have… a baby?" She laughed and covered his hands with hers. "Yup." The idea seemed to finally click in his head, as he gave her a big smile and pulled her into a hug. "A baby!" She laughed with tears in her eyes. "I know!" He laughed along with her, before freezing up suddenly.

Uta drew away, frowning at him. "What's wrong?" He shivered. "Your brothers gonna kill me."


	6. Secrets

**AU Prompt: Being in bands that rival each other but are secretly dating.**

 **Word count: 663**

"That was so intense!" Yoruichi said, stretching her arms above her head. "I know, but we drew with them again! This is getting so frustrating!" Rangiku hissed. "But it was a lot of fun!" Orihime said, smiling. Uta smiled back. "They always bring out the best in us," Uta said. Rukia silently agreed.

They were of course, referring to The Vixens rivals, The Reapers. The rivalry between the two bands went way back to when both bands were rising in popularity. Plus, they were an all-boy band. The Vixens were an all-girl band. Classic boys vs girls situation.

"I think it's time we all went to bed. We're still on tour after all. We need our beauty sleep," Yoruichi said, nudging everyone into the hotel. Uta's phone suddenly went off. She glanced at the text and smiled, before faking a groan. Rukia looked at her in disbelief. "Again?" Uta nodded regretfully. "I'm sorry guys, but you know I have to do it." Rangiku just shook her head. "They need to keep off your back. You have your own life, they shouldn't keep butting into it." Uta shrugged helplessly. "None the less, I'm going. I'll finish up as soon as I can." The band waved at me as I walked out of the hotel and hailed a taxi down.

Uta's parents had run a billion dollar business. But they died in a tragic car accident, leaving it to the kids to keep it going. Uta's band had just started to rise in popularity by then, so she refused to start working there like her brother did. But after her parent's advisers kept pestering her, she said that if she would take care of international meetings, seeing as how she toured the globe. And half the time, she was going off to meet clients, but other times she was off meeting a special someone.

Uta hopped out of the taxi when it arrived at a forested area in the city. Julia's Park was its name. She wondered into the park, her eyes shifting around, trying to spot that head of white hair.

A pair of arms snaked around her waist and lifted her off her feet. She squealed and struggled before catching a glimpse of white hair. "Really?!" She all but yelled, laughing along with her 'captor.' Toshirou Hitsugaya, aka the lead singer of The Reapers, aka her bands rival, aka Uta's boyfriend.

He put her down and spun her around to face him, smirking all the while. She playfully hit his chest. "That wasn't funny Toshirou. You gave me a heart attack!" He laughed and put an arm around her. "Nah, you would have been right." She glared at him. "I am severely tempted to kick you." He raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try."

She rolled her eyes. "Did the boys buy your excuse?" Toshirou snorted. "No, but they're used to me leaving now. I think they're going to stage a convention though. They're getting frustrated." She laughed. "Then you need to come up with a better excuse." "You have an advantage!" She stuck her tongue out. "Wuss."

He growled playfully. "I'll show you wuss!" He picked her up and swung her over his shoulder. "Hey!" She yelled while struggling. "Put me down!" He laughed and started to walk. "I swear I'm going to get you for this Hitsugaya, just you wait! When you're least expecting it, I'm gonna-" she squealed as she was swung off his shoulder, her back meeting the tree behind her. But she still couldn't touch the ground, her legs being held up by Toshirou. "You're gonna what?" He grinned as she huffed, her cheeks going pink. "I can't tell you, otherwise you'll know what's coming." "Oh?" He leaned forward, his face getting close to hers. "I bet I could get you to tell me." Uta blushed harder at the comment, before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Betcha' you couldn't." He smirked. "I love a challenge."


	7. Paint

**Character A accidentally drops an entire bucket (or more) of paint on character B. Word count: 196**

"So tell me why I'm doing this again?" Uta asked while holding a large bucket of paint. "Because," Rangiku replied. "You and I needed a little girl time together!" The ladder she was standing on wobbled precariously. "Rangiku!" Uta all but yelled. "I'm alright, but I don't think this ladder was for made me. Switch with me Uta!" She sighed but nodded, and proceeded to climb the ladder, still holding the can of paint. She took the paint brush from Rangiku and got to work.

"Wow Uta, you're really good at this!" She snorted. "All I'm doing is painting a wall Rangiku, there's not a lot of skill that goes into that." Rangiku just laughed.

Toshirou suddenly walked out of the barracks. "Rangiku! Have you done your share of the paperwork-" he knocked the ladder Uta was standing on, making it wobble. Uta lost her balance and dropped her paint. Splat!

"Oh no…" Uta whispered, her hand covering her mouth. The paint had unceremoniously spilled all over Toshirou. His eyebrow twitched as he slowly lifted his head to gaze at the offender. Uta cursed under her breath and jumped off, using flash step to escape.

"UTA!"


	8. Claustrophobia

**AU Prompt: Two characters stuck in an elevator together. Word count: 674**

Uta wasn't having the best of days. Her phone had refused to work this morning, her hot water wasn't functioning and her car had broken down on the way to work. Now, she was stuck in a tiny box suspended 15 floors up because a part of the stairs had collapsed. She was breathing deeply, trying to stave off the panic that had been steadily increasing since she'd stepped into the elevator.

Suddenly the lights flickered, before shutting off. At the same time, the elevator jerked to a stop. Uta glanced around fearfully, searching for the person that had been with her. When the lights flickered back on, she was able to see him. He had white hair, piercing blue eyes, and was taller than her, which really wasn't saying much.

The elevator didn't start moving again. "What's happening?" she asked, inching backwards till her back hit the wall. "I don't know," he replied, walking over to the emergency phone. "Let's find out."

As he dialled, Uta glanced around, feeling as if the walls were closing in on her. She didn't listen to the stranger's conversation, instead she slid down the wall, before bringing her knees to her chest and placing her hands over her ears. She tried to imagine she was somewhere else, somewhere open.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Miss, are you alright?" She glanced up and stared at the man. He still had the phone to his ear, and he seemed to be listening to someone on the other end. "No, she's not responding," he said, frowning. He nodded to himself after listening to the again. "Are you claustrophobic?" Uta started to shake, but she nodded her head before clenching her eyes shut. "You were right." The man said. "Any means necessary? Alright, thank you."

She felt a pair of hands slightly shake her shoulders. "Hey, look at me." She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the stranger. His gaze was determined yet soft. "My name is Toshirou Hitsugaya. Do you remember that I called to see what was going on?" She nodded. "The powers gone out. Something about faulty wiring in the system. The emergency generator doesn't have enough power to move the elevator. But it should be fixed in about 20 minutes. We are completely safe, okay?" She nodded, but her body was still shaking badly, and her eyes were now flitting around.

Toshirou cursed, pressing two of his fingers to Uta's neck. "Crap, your pulse is way too fast. You've gone into shock." He stripped his jacket and scarf off and wrapped her them around her. He then sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. "Listen to me. Everything is fine, you're going to be fine. But you need to start taking deep breaths, okay? You need to slow your pulse down. If you don't, you could lose consciousness, or worse, go into cardiac arrest." Uta nodded, trying to take deeper breaths.

Once she had calmed down a bit, Toshirou started talking again. "I'm supposed to keep you talking, to keep you distracted." She nodded. "What's your name?" "U-Uta K-Kazume."

"What are you doing here?"

"I-I work here."

"What's your job?"

He continued to ask her questions, and she could feel herself become more relaxed. Before they knew it, the elevator started to move again. Uta tensed and got up, knowing she was about to get out of this stupid box.

She turned to Toshirou. "Thank you so much for this." He gave her a small smile. "It was my pleasure, but hopefully we don't have to do it again." She shuddered and nodded. "What a way to make someone's acquaintance." He chuckled and said, "Indeed."

When the doors opened, we both walked out, about to head our separate ways. "Hey Uta," Toshirou said. "Yeah?" He walked over to me and handed me a card. "We should meet up again. Call or text me when your free." She nodded happily. "I'd like that. Thanks again!" He smiled and walked away.


	9. Trapped

**AU Prompt: Mafia. Word Count: 507**

Uta was terrified. And she couldn't do much about it. Because if she got help, she would doom her friends to a life of prison.

She knew that they were keeping something from her. But she'd never imagined that they would have been in the mafia! She honestly didn't know how to react to that. And now, she was in serious danger, because she had witnessed something she shouldn't have. The rival mafia in the city was after her because of that.

She couldn't go to her friends. How could she? They had been in lockdown apparently, because one of their members had been kidnapped. They didn't know that she's in trouble.

Uta froze when she heard a sudden banging on the huge doors to the warehouse she was hiding in. The noise was deafening. She quickly scrambled up and went to hide amoung the many shelves in the building.

She heard the doors give way with a loud groan, before hearing people start to enter the warehouse. She tried to be quiet, tried to calm her breaths. After awhile she saw flashes of light every now and again, and she just knew they were getting closer. _This is it,_ she thought. _This is how I'm going to die._

She screwed her eyes shut when she heard a pair of footsteps getting closer, accompanied by a yellow glow.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of an engine, followed by the sound of gunshots. People started to yell, and the man that had been closing in on her moved away. She quickly thanked the lord for whatever distraction had occurre d, before running to the small back door to the warehouse.

She burst through the door and slammed it shut, then sprinted for cover. She heard the revving of an engine again, followed by louder gunshots, and pushed herself to go faster.

The engine was getting close, but she refused to look back. She saw the cover of trees in front of her, prayed that she'd make it. She screamed when a motorbike rode past her, before swinging in front of her. The man on the bike held a gun, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to escape. Long held tears started to escape as she stared at the gun.

"Get on," the man said. "What?" "Do you wanna live?" I nodded slowly. "Then get on!" I frowned. "And what if I don't?" He cursed and tore off his helmet. "Damnit Uta, it's me, Toshirou!" I stared at him, awestruck. "Toshirou? What are doing here? Aren't you in Australia right now?" He gave her a grim smile. "The guys told me what was going down, so I had to get my butt back to Japan. Then I heard about you. So I'm here to save you." More tears escaped Uta's eyes, but this time, they were tears of happiness.

She heard the sound of gunfire again. Toshirou quickly placed his helmet on her head and pulled her to him. "Get on Uta. We're getting out of here."


	10. Hunted

**AU Prompt: Person A has been hired as a bounty hunter to capture Person B Word count: 1222**

He hated people like this woman. The type of person who would kill for the sake of it. What kind of person would derive pleasures from such horrors?

He looked down at the photo of the woman he was being sent to retrieve. She was shorter than average, had long black hair with a greenish tint. Her face was neutral, and she didn't look all that threatening. But they almost never did.

According to the company that had hired him, she had been an employee. One day she had just gone crazy, trying to kill all her colleagues in various ways. And they had dug up an old, multiple homicide case connected to the girl.

They hadn't given him a name, which was weird, but he ignored it. This girl was obviously going to kill more people. He was going to stop her before she could kill any more. But it was weird. He had tracked her down to a dense rainforest in China. Why would she go there if she was off on a murderous rampage? Toshirou had guessed that there was a specific person she was out to kill.

He knew he was closing in on her. Her footprints were becoming deeper. Keeping the trail in sight, he ascended into the trees, so that he could surprise the target.

When he first got sight of her, he froze in shock. The photo didn't do her justice, she was small enough to be a child! But her face gave her away as someone older. And that was something that gave him a second pause. The girl looked terrified. Her eyes were darting around, constantly scanning the area. They reflected fear and dread. He saw nothing in her that screamed homicidal and insane.

As he stared at her face, he cursed. This girl hadn't killed anyone. He could see it in her eyes. Anyone who had killed before had a look in their eyes, whether they were good or not. He saw the same look in his own.

His clients had lied to him. And that was unforgivable. But why had they? What was so special about this girl? He was frustrated, confused, and very angry. They had tried to make him hurt an innocent. So now, he would help her.

He silently made his way back to ground level. He needed to approach her with caution. He didn't want her to run off, she was already as flighty as a deer.

He followed her through the forest, waiting for her to take a break. He was impressed with her endurance, as they had been walking for nearly 4 hours. She stopped by a flowing river and all but collapsed, completely exhausted.

She leaned down and scooped water into her hands, drinking from them. He tensed as something fell beside her. She screeched and jumped away from the object. Upon further inspection, she realised it was a bird. "Oh dear, you poor thing!" She made her way over and gently picked it up, resting it on her lap. She stroked its feathers, gazing down at it. Then he did something that surprised him. She started to sing.

Her voice was soft and melodic, clean and pure. It was one of the most beautiful voices he'd ever heard. Part of the way through the song, the bird squirmed until she let go, then proceeded to fly off with a cheerful chirp. She smiled and whispered, "Bye."

It was then that he decided to approach her. He made sure to come to her from her front. He didn't want her to think he was sneaking up behind her.

"Are you okay?" The girl stiffened as her eyes snapped up, her whole body tensed to run. "Woah there, easy," Toshirou soothed, holding his hands up. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you." She gave him a fierce glare. "You lie, you don't know me." He nodded. "That's true. I don't even know your name. But I'll introduce myself. My names Toshirou Hitsugaya, I'm a bounty hunter. What about you?" Her eyes widened. "Bounty hunter, what are you doing here?" He shook his head. "I'll tell you if you give me your name." She glanced around, looking like she might run. But then she hung her head. "I don't have a name." He frowned. "You have amnesia?" She shook her head. "No, that's not it. I have no name. I was never given one. Unless you count a bunch of numbers as a name." He frowned at her, confused.

"What are you doing here, bounty hunter?" He sighed and walked slowly towards her. He wanted to be close enough to grab her if she bolted. "I was originally hired to retrieve you." She gasped and sprang up, lunging to the side. Toshirou cursed and quickly grabbed her. She struggled against him, screaming in frustration. "No, please! I didn't do anything! Please don't take me back!" "Hey, Hey! Calm down, I said originally! I'm not letting them get anywhere near you!" She froze and slowly turned to look at him. "Why? What changed?" His gaze turned icy. "They lied to me about you. I know you're not the person they say you are."

She started to shake, and tears started to fall down her face. "I don't know what to say. You're the first person to ever…" He frowned at what she was implying. "I won't be the last." He promised.

"I'm going to protect you, okay?" She nodded. "I need to know why they're after you." She lowered her head and sighed. "Can we sit down for this? I promise I won't run." He nodded and they both settled on the foliage. "The company that hired you are involved in a massive illegal operation." He frowned. "Drugs?" "Only partly," she answered. "The operation is centred on human experimentation." Toshirou froze and looked at her in horror as he connected the dots. "So you're…" "One of their experiments. And a valuable one at that." He frowned. "What do you mean by important?" "My blood carries a drug that acts like a steroid. But it's like a steroid on steroids. It's super strong. That's how I was able to escape." He stared at her in horror. "Oh my god." She nodded sadly. "The only memories I have are of that lab."

Toshirou cursed. "This is bigger than I thought. I'm going to call in for backup." She gave him a scared look. "Don't worry, these guys are my close friends and comrades. They'd drop everything to help me." She nodded, her eyes filled with awe. "I wish I could trust someone like that." He felt a pang in his chest at that comment. Christ, she'd never had someone to rely on before. "I promise you'll come to have good friends."

"Now, before I call in some backup, we need to give you a name." She frowned. "Ah… I don't really know many names." Toshirou's face turned thoughtful. "Hmmm…" he recalled the scene he'd caught before, of her singing. "What about Uta?" She cocked her head to the side. "Uta means song in my country, and I heard you sing before. You've got a great voice." She smiled. "I like that name." He grinned and placed his hand on her head. "Uta it is then."


End file.
